When Patrick Ewing testified to receiving sexual favours in Gold Club trials

Patrick Ewing is without question one of the greatest centers to ever play the game of basketball. As an eleven-time All-Star he was considered the face of the New York Knicks franchise for over a decade.

Although the lack of a championship win has prevented him from being mentioned alongside the likes of Dirk Nowitzki, his loyalty to the Knicks was remarkable.

Despite being one of the NBA's biggest stars in the 1990s, Ewing found himself in some hot water back in 2001 before his playing career winded down. An Atlanta Strip club called the Gold Club was the subject of a major U.S. federal investigation.

According to United States federal prosecutors, the club was a front for prostitution, credit card fraud, money laundering, and mob activity. The owner, Steve Kaplan, allegedly had ties to the famed Gambino crime family and was put on trial in the city of Atlanta. That's where Ewing and several other notable NBA players come in.

Numerous professional athletes from the NBA and NFL were subpoenaed to testify in the trial. In addition to Patrick Ewing, Dikembe Mutombo, and Dennis Rodman were all subpoenaed. After one of Ewing's teammates, John Starks, confirmed that he had sex with one of the dancers from the club, the star center appeared in court.

According to the seven-foot star, who spoke for half an hour in court, Kaplan was present in the room when he received sexual favors from dancers in a VIP room. Although he wasn't expecting things to play out that way, he admitted it happened on two separate occasions.

According to Ewing, in addition to John Starks also being present in the club, his teammates Larry Johnson and Charles Oakley were also at the establishment. While Starks had previously admitted to having his own sexual encounter at the Gold Club, it wasn't clear whether Johnson or Oakley had a similar experience.

Patrick Ewing's court appearance and the aftermath

During his court appearance, Patrick Ewing admitted that although he tried to pay for the private dance he received, he was shot down. According to him, during both of the visits that led to sexual encounters, Ewing wasn't charged for the VIP room. He testified in court that he paid just $20 for private dances in a VIP room that would normally cost hundreds.

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One of the biggest components to the case was a former manager at the Gold Club, Thomas Sicignano, who cooperated with the prosecution. He testified in court that he would arrange for dancers to engage in sexual acts with high-profile athletes, including John Starks.

While players like Patrick Ewing and John Starks never faced any charges for being on the receiving end of things, the owner Steve Kaplan was. As he saw things crumbling down around him, Kaplan agreed to a plea deal that saw him pay $5 million in fines and serve 3-5 years in prison.

The entire incident marks the strange intersection of crime and sports and remains one of the craziest stories regarding Patrick Ewing.

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